Sudan ceasefire meeting to be held in Washington

(Patria) - Representatives of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt will meet on Friday in Washington with the parties to the long-running war in Sudan to urge them to agree to a ceasefire, an official familiar with the talks between the four countries said, AFP reported.

Last month, the influential powers, sometimes called the Quad, jointly called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan, followed by a permanent truce and a transition to civilian rule.

This week's meeting is focused on that plan "and putting pressure on the warring parties to implement a three-month national humanitarian ceasefire," a senior official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity. The official said the group's members would meet with the two sides separately.

The Quad "is acting collectively to exert unified pressure on the parties to stop the fighting and allow aid to reach civilians," he added.

Since April 2023, Sudan has witnessed fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly twelve million, creating the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

While witnesses reported drones targeting the capital Khartoum, which is under army control, for the third consecutive day on Thursday, four United Nations agencies called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities," drawing attention to the dire humanitarian situation, particularly in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

The Sudanese government reacted coldly last month to the Quad's peace plan, rejecting the proposal to exclude both the army and the RSF from the country's post-war political transition.